It’s not a typo. What I’m getting at is all the misconceptions about Christianity and what it means to live as a follower of Christ. There are more issues inherent in this topic than this post can address. But I will take on the most common and popular criticisms and misconceptions, of which there are many.
But people like to sit on them. By this I mean they believe these notions and trust them just like you would when you sit on a chair and trust that it will support your weight. (Which requires a bit of faith itself). For you younger folks, in older churches these long benches are called pews. They were solid, heavy, and tough and could support anywhere from 6 to 30 people depending on the size of the church. You see people love to make up things about the Christian faith to make themselves more comfortable with it or with rejecting it. Here is part one of the “fake pews” people sit on when it comes to the Christian faith, the Bible, and God.
One addition at this pint is needed. For what follows you will likely need to believe that there is something going on in this world, this universe, that is beyond the physical. A serious consideration that a spiritual aspect to the universe actually exists is needed here. You don’t have to be completely convinced at this point, but you just need to concede that it is possible – that the visible was birthed out of the invisible. If not, I implore you to try it on for size, read what follows and then see where you end up. I’m cheering for you! I’m praying for you!
Fake Pew Number 1. "Christians adhere to blind faith." Actually, we are very fond of facts and logic. There are all kinds of evidence that the places and people in both the Old and New Testaments really existed. The life of Jesus is well documented in extrabiblical sources. The gospels were written within 30 years of the events of his life. Even the empty tomb is well documented. What you believe about the empty tomb is up to debate, but it is verifiable. We have faith based on sound and logical evidence and the miraculous. But if you believe that God, “a being of which nothing greater can be conceived,” exists and is powerful enough to create the universe, then it is logical that he is capable to intervening and producing miraculous events in the world. Blind faith is more akin to superstition than religion. Blind faith is a fake pew. Don’t sit on it! It doesn’t hold up!
Fake Pew Number 2. "You have to live a good life to get into heaven." Ummm, Sorry! Your salvation – “getting into heaven” – does not depend how good a life you have lived. Not that we shouldn’t do that but salvation is not based on our works or efforts. It’s a weak pew.
There are two sides to this, and both need to be understood correctly. One sounds wonderful, and one sounds harsh. First, you are saved by grace through faith – Ephesians 2:8-9. It is a gift received by faith. Here’s how I like to look at it. Grace opens the door to the Father’s home and faith in Jesus death and resurrection walks us through it. Now, we do have to turn around to see the home and the open door. We call this repentance. Jesus, the one full of grace and truth shows us the Father and the open door. But we can still refuse to walk through - refuse to believe and by faith walk into an eternal relationship of peace and joy. Sounds pretty good huh? Second, since good works and good lives don’t save you, this means that nice people who do not believe, meaning someone who does not acknowledge the Savior Jesus standing next to them and pointing them to the door of grace, will not enter eternity with the heavenly Father. That may seem harsh to some people, but it is only logical. The “I’m good enough without God” argument does not hold up. Let me ask you how good is “good enough.” Upon what standard do we measure “good enough.” As humans we seriously have no idea. Only God, who created you for a relationship with him, has the ultimate standard of perfection, righteousness, and justice. And we all come up short of this standard no matter how “good” you have lived. Would you trust a God who is anything less?
But because he loves you Jesus came to save us, remove the separation between us and God (because of our sin) and leads us by faith into the home of grace and forgiveness. Don’t let your pride and your insatiable taste for self-service, and self-sufficiency keep you from a truly transformational life now and in the afterlife. Haven’t you found that you can make a mess of things in your life without doing anything “bad” by your definition. We can hurt others, make mistakes, hoard resources, and ignore the needy without even trying or being intentional in any way. If you have not noticed this fact about your life you are living in a delusion that somehow you can rise above this chaotic world. Well, good luck with that. That pride will keep you from the help and hope you are undoubtedly missing. With that attitude you will not see the open door of grace and I dare say, you may keep yourself from coming within miles of the Father’s home. Being good enough to get to heaven? Fake pew! Don’t sit on it!
Fake Pew Number 3. "But isn’t Christianity about being good and a bunch dos and don’ts?" Sometimes it sounds like that, but it really isn’t. Christians strive to live loving and gracious lives in gratitude for what God has first given us, eternal life through Jesus Christ. We don’t earn anything. None of us merit salvation. It is a gift. When God touches your heart and mind you are transformed into a child of God. (John 1:12). Therefore, you want to leave behind the old sinful ways and, out of love and thankfulness to God, you seek to live in ways that honor, bless, and reflect the love of God that has already saved you. We set the bar high for ourselves because we want to show others how great our God is, not to brag about how good we are or to bash people who don’t know God. When we believe, we see life differently from those who don’t share that identity. It stops being only about us and our little temporary pleasures and becomes about Jesus and the grace he offers to all people.
Do we live hypocritically sometimes? No one knows that fact better than a Christian. We know we fall short. But God helps us grow in love and trust in him, which teaches us how to live. Look at verse 10 of Ephesians 2. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which he has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). You see, even the good things we do we cannot take credit for. It is all the work of God restoring us into the relationship with him and them empowering us to live with his kind of unconditional love for all people. Here’s more good news! The Holy Spirit which indwells every believer when we believe, works in our lives to shape us into the people God meant us to be - people of grace, love and obedience. Making lists of dos and don’ts? It may seem like it is supporting you just fine for a while, but given time it will collapse. Your next sizeable failure will reinforce this fact. It’s a Fake pew! Don’t sit on it.
(More unveiling of fake pews to come. This is just part one).
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